


So Here’s The Thing (About Everything Else)

by mushroommagus



Series: The Things [3]
Category: The Magnus Archives (Podcast)
Genre: (closer to the end), ADULTS being dicks, Aftermath of trauma, Alternate Universe - College/University, Alternate Universe - High School, Angst with a Happy Ending, Fluff and Angst, Hurt/Comfort, I REPEAT: HAPPY ENDING, I think there will be 3, Implied/Referenced Child Abuse, Implied/Referenced Homophobia, M/M, Night Terrors, Non-Graphic Violence, PART THREE BABEY!!, Religious Imagery & Symbolism, The Boys Need Therapy, enjoy! (?), everything is fine until it isnt, gertrude is somewhat decent (but FAR from perfect), heed the TWs!!!, i thiiiiink that’s all for now, religion used as an excuse for hate crimes, religious trauma, specific TWs will go with each chapter as well :), teenagers being dicks, the unjust law system, there's quite a bit of that, this one gets angsty
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-03-15
Updated: 2021-03-12
Packaged: 2021-03-19 03:28:19
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 6,000
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29993187
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/mushroommagus/pseuds/mushroommagus
Summary: And then, there’s everything else.
Relationships: Gerard Keay/Michael Shelley
Series: The Things [3]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2159145
Comments: 2
Kudos: 8





	So Here’s The Thing (About Everything Else)

**Author's Note:**

> TWs: implied/referenced homophobia, nightmares, child neglect

“... so THAT’S why I think that Jeff Bezos is, in fact, NOT a lizard person, but a _snake_ person.” Michael finishes with a flourish. 

They were in Gerry’s room; Michael was laying on Gerry’s bed talking about conspiracy theories while Gerry sat on the floor, absentmindedly looking at vintage horror movie posters on his phone.

“ Gerry, are you listening? This is very important stuff you know,” Michael pouted, leaning over the edge of the bed and placing his arms on Gerry’s shoulders. After nearly two months together, they had gotten pretty comfortable with each other.

“ A little bit. What do you think of this poster?” Gerry said, ignoring Michael’s pout and tilting his phone so Michael could see it better. The poster was for a movie called “ THEM”, and it showed a crowd of people running from two very large, angry looking ants. Michael wrinkled his nose. 

“ Gerard, if you put that up on your wall I’m never making out with you in here again. Instant mood killer.” 

Gerry let out a small huff of laughter. 

“ I mean, I guess that’s fair. How about this one?” This time the screen showed a poster loudly proclaiming “ WEREWOLF OF LONDON- hideos half-man, half-beast who terrorized millions!” It was a fairly dramatic poster, the words bright red with several people’s faces on it (and a bat for some reason).

“ I like that one a bit better. It’s at least got a little bit of homoerotiscm at the bottom,” Michael conceded, pointing to the bottom of the image where two men grasped onto each other’s faces. 

“ It kinda just looks like they’re trying to kill each other?”

“ Yes, and?”

“ Oh, right, of course. The inherent homoerotiscm of brawling/sword fighting/beating the shit out of each other.”

“ That’s the spirit,” Michael grinned, pressing a kiss to the side of Gerry’s face. 

“ Hmm, I think we could do it better.” Gerry said, turning himself around and catching Michael’s face in a kiss. Michael hummed into the kiss, before pulling away. 

“ Well, that’s certainly homo _romantic_ , maybe not so erotic though.”

Gerry smirked. 

“ I’m sure we can fix that,” he purred, bringing Michael closer and focusing in on his lips. 

_Knock knock!_

They jumped apart from each other, a blush noticeable on Michael’s face and Gerry’s own feeling warm. 

“ I’m going out, boys,” Gertrude’s voice came through the door. 

“ Don’t break the bed.” she said dryly, before her footsteps receded. 

“ Er, goodbye Mrs. Robinson!” Michael called out after, face redder than before. There was no answer, only the sound of the front door opening and then shutting. 

Gerry let out a laugh. 

“ God, she’s such a bitch,” he snickered.

“ That’s a bit rude, don’t you think?” Michael said defensively.

“ Oh, c’mon, when have I ever been known to be polite?” 

“ Fine, you have a point,” Michael huffed, but he was smiling.

Gerry climbed up onto the bed and laid down next to him. 

“ You gonna make good on your statement?” Michael asked, looked down at him from where he was propped up on his elbows. 

“ Meh,” said Gerry, absentmindedly taking one of the curls that hung over Michael’s shoulder and twisting it in his fingers. He liked the way Michael’s hair felt; it was soft and shiny, and made him smell like citrus. “ I was thinking about reminding you of the math homework we have for this weekend.”

Michael groaned, flopping over him. 

“ _I’m_ not even the one who has to worry about my grade, _Gerry._ ” He says, glaring in mock anger at him. 

“ I know that; I was hoping you could help me study.”

“ Bleh, since when do you care about grades?”

“ Since Gertrude nailed into my brain how important it is I have a good GPA with her ‘I’m not angry just disappointed’ voice.”

“ Alright, fair. Fine, I’ll help you.” Michael sat up, sticking his tongue out at Gerry. Gerry smiled lazily up at him. 

“ I’ll be sure to make sure you’re properly compensated.” 

“ Well, I certainly wasn’t planning on this being free of charge,” Michael responded, bringing his notebook from his bag and flashing Gerry a grin. “ Let’s get our math on, then.”

“ Do you _have_ to be so cheesy about it?” Gerry said, making a face and fetching his own supplies.

“ Yes.” Michael said sweetly.

  
  


-

  
  


_It’s dark in the basement. The only light comes from the flickering glow of the oil lamp Mary keeps on her desk. But Gerard isn't by the desk, and it is dark. He can hear the scratching of pen on paper, fast and almost manic in tempo._

_He can see Mary’s shadow cast against the wall, her form nearly blotting out any light he has in the corner. The pen keeps writing. Gerard has been down here for ages. He wants to go upstairs. He’s hungry. But the pen keeps writing._

_He can’t interrupt her. Not when the pen is writing. But he can’t wait any longer. The pen keeps writing. He stands up from his corner and quietly walks over to her desk. The pen keeps writing. He lingers by the shelf that he can’t see but knows is there, peeking out from behind it. The pen keeps writing. He is standing silently by the desk, looking up. The pen keeps writing. “ ...mum?” He asks tentatively, voice small and hoarse._

_The pen stops writing._

_There is silence. Gerard feels his stomach drop. He does not speak again, and she still doesn’t answer but the pen is not writing. She heard him, she knows, and the pen is not writing._

_“ gerard…” the voice comes from all around him, as if she is everywhere at once. “ you know better than to interrupt me when i’m writing, don’t you?” the voice- voices?- comes again, rasping, directly in his ear but also over there and behind him and in front of him. “ i-i-“ the words will not come. The words will not come and the pen is not writing. The words will not come and the pen is not writing and he hears his mother start to laugh and it echos and swarms all around him and he sees her silhouette turn towards him and her hands reach for his face and they’re bloody, why are they bloody, and-_

Gerry woke with a strangled gasp, sitting bolt upright. The room was fuzzy. He duly registered a weight beside him, but he didn’t know from what. His room- it is his room, right?- was dark, his eyes not taking in any details. He could feel the tears rolling down his cheeks but he made no sound. Through a haze, he registered that he was shaking.

“ ...Gerry?” He heard from next to him. He opened his mouth, but no words came out, only a strangled gasp. The sheets rustled beside him.

“ Hey, hey, you’re alright. Try to focus on me, okay?” Hands came up to the sides of his face. He flinched away on instinct, but the hands just followed. They did not hurt; they felt gentle. Gerry leaned into their touch.

“ That’s right, good. I want you to follow my breathing, okay? In for one… two… three…four... good, hold for one… two… three… and out for one… two… three… four… five. Okay, let’s do that again.” The voice guided him through the sequence a few more times. Gerry felt his heartbeat slow, no longer trying to pound its way out of his chest.

“ Good, you’re doing so good, Gerry. Can you turn and look at me?” Gerry did. 

“ Open your eyes, yeah?” Oh. Gerry didn’t realize they were closed. He did as he was told, and he saw... he saw Michael. Hair tousled and eyes still soft with sleep, but looking at him with intent. 

“ There you are. Are you back?” He asked quietly. 

“ I…” Gerry’s voice felt hoarse. “ Yeah. Yeah, I’m… still a little fuzzy, but I’m back.” 

Michael’s face relaxed. 

“ Good. Do you wanna talk about it?”

“...No. I… I wanna sleep.”

“ Okay, we can do that.” Michael said softly, opening his arms. “ C’mere.” 

Gerry hesitated, before moving closer and letting himself be enfolded in Michael’s embrace. Michael pulled him closer, letting Gerry bury his face in his chest and stroking his hair methodically. 

“...Michael?” Gerry asked after a few minutes. 

“ Yeah?” 

“ How did you know what to do?”

The hand in his hair stilled for a moment, before resuming its soft petting. 

“ I… I’m no stranger to panic attacks. It looked like you were having one, so… I just did what I normally do.”

“...I get night terrors, sometimes. That’s… that’s what you saw.” Gerry murmured. Michael was quiet. 

“ I… I can’t say I relate, but I do _understand._ I’m… I’m glad I was able to help, then.” He said at last. Gerry didn’t say anything, just pulled himself closer to Michael. 

Sleep finds them both before dawn. 

  
  


-

  
  


School was a drag, as always. It had been a drag before Michael, and it was after; probably mostly because even if they could exchange glances against the cafeteria, they couldn’t actually _interact_ with each other. 

Neither Michael nor Gerry had many friends at the school, but Michael was always being… watched. And if word of him spending time with someone like Gerry got around, got back to his _father?_ Things would get bad, fast. 

So they stayed distant, stealing moments when they could and meeting up descretely after the final bell. 

But this day, it was only lunch, and to Gerry, it felt like the end of the day couldn’t come soon enough. 

He looked over to Michael, sitting at a table with a few others. Michael was almost always surrounded by people. 

_“ It’s suffocating, yet isolating,”_ Michael had told him, stroking his hand as they laid facing each other one night.

 _“ I don’t think any of them actually_ care _about me. They’re just with me to look good. Which, I kinda get. I understand what it’s like to want to impress people, to make sure they’re not… disappointed in you. But… I dunno. I just hate how fake it all feels. How fake_ I _feel when I’m with them.”_

Gerry was pretty sure Michael was feeling that way now, the blonde’s strained smile visible even from across the cafeteria, dropping a little every time someone looked away. Gerry sighed.

“ Well if it isn’t Gerard Keay,” said a voice from the other side of the lunch table.

“ Mike. Horrible to see you,” Gerry replied, turning around to face Mike Crew, white-dyed hair messy as usual and scarring creeping up his shoulders and neck.

Mike Crew had wormed his way into Gerry’s life from the first day of high school. Gerry hadn’t wanted him there, and continued to attempt to push him away, but in the end Mike just slipped right through the cracks.

Gerry knew now that he couldn’t escape friendship with him even if he tried. And he had tried. 

Something about Mike sticking around even when Gerry tried to make him leave was comforting.

“ Ouch! How it burns!” Mike said dramatically, swooning in mock-pain. 

“ Why must you wound me so, your only friend?” 

“ Bold of you to assume you’re his friend,” came a second voice as Oliver Banks sat down next to Mike.

“ I like Oliver way better than you anyways.” Gerry said, a smile tugging at his lips as he watched Mike’s mouth fall open in indignation.

“ Ollie! How could you!” 

Oliver merely smirked, before turning down to his lunch, dreadlocks falling into his face before he swept them to the side. Oliver was Gerry’s friend through aquintance with Mike, though they got along quite well. Before the white-haired boy had dragged them together, the two had rarely interacted with each other.

Gerry had supposed part of that was purposeful avoidance. As the two most goth-looking people at the high, they were expected to be close, and neither Gerry nor Oliver liked conforming to people’s expectations.

But here they were anyways, thanks to Mike. If he was being honest, Gerry didn’t mind. 

The trio was close, all in all. But Gerry still had yet to tell them about Michael. 

It wasn’t that he feared their reactions to the fact that he was into dudes- no, Oliver had come out to them both almost two years ago, and Gerry had noticed how he and Mike seemed to become even closer after Oliver broke up with his not-so-public boyfriend. Plus, they both knew he wasn’t straight either. 

No, Gerry just didn’t want to out Michael like that. They were his friends, yes, but what if one of them slipped up, or accidentally told someone, or _purposefully_ told someone after Gerry pissed one of them off, or something?

It was a risk Gerry was reluctant to take, because the person at stake was Michael. And the last thing Gerry wanted was for Michael to get hurt.

But… he really did wish he could tell them.

“ Gerard? Earth to Gerard!” Oliver called, snapping his fingers. 

“ Man, you’re spacey today,” Mike commented, looking at him with a hint of concern. “ Everything okay?”

Gerry shrugged, waving the question off. “ I’m fine, just... tired, I guess.”

Mike still eyed him skeptically, but started once more to ramble about his favorite cloud types. 

Gerry once more let his eyes drift over to Michael, engaging nervously with Manuela Dominguez. From what Gerry had heard, Manuela’s father was another big figure in his father’s church, and she was determined to carry on in his footsteps. As such, he ignored her, and instead tried to focus on Michael’s hands, how they played with his hair and wrung themselves as he was listening to Manuela. His slim fingers were graceful but nervous, always moving. Gerry really wished they were on his shoulders or in his hair, as they so often were when the two were alone.

“ Gerry, seriously, who’s so important that you ignore me when I ask you about your favorite cloud type?” Huffed an annoyed Mike across the table. Gerry looked back at him.

“ Uh… sorry?”

“ What’s so interesting about Manuela Dominguez?” Oliver asked from beside Mike, and Gerry snorted. 

“ I wasn’t watching her, I wouldn’t know.” He responded, and Oliver raised one of his eyebrows. 

“ Ah, but you admit you were looking at someone?” 

“ I-“ Gerry was about to protest, but Oliver cut him off. 

“ Michael Shelley, then?”

“ No.” Gerry replied too quickly, and Oliver smirked at him. He leaned across the table.

“ I mean, he’s admittedly _quite_ pretty. I wouldn’t blame you for looking. But my god Gerry, I’m not stupid and you look a _lot._ One would almost think you like him.”

Gerry rolled his eyes.

“ I’m nearly 18, Oliver. This isn’t middle school, I don’t have a _crush_ . Besides, I don’t even know him,” _As far as they know,_ his brain supplied helpfully. “ Why would I be interested in him?”

Oliver looked unimpressed.

“ Also,” Gerry added, as if to prove his point. “ He’s straight.”

There was a second of silence before an incredulous laugh burst out of Mike, leading Oliver to follow suit with his own, much quieter chuckle. 

“ Straight, Gerry, are you _kidding_ me? It’s almost a rule of thumb that anyone who’s _that_ involved with the church is gay. Honestly, they probably _all_ are,” he said, gesturing over to Michael’s table.

“ I- I mean, you don’t _know_ that-“ Gerry protested weakly, knowing he was fighting a losing battle. Oliver just looked at him, and Gerry made one last ditch effort to defend Michael’s so-called straightness. 

“ I… saw him making out with Manuela behind the school,” he said, extremely unconvincingly. 

“ Yeah? Was she on top?” Mike asked, not missing a beat. Gerry groaned and put his face in his hands, ignoring the slight blush on his face. 

“ Gerry, you _know_ avidly defending someone’s straightness just makes you look more suspicious,” Oliver stated. Gerry grumbled into his hands.

“ Come on, mate, just spit it out,” Mike prompted. Gerry dragged his hands down his face and looked at the two of them. 

“ If you tell _anyone_ about what I’m about to say, I _will_ kill you.” Gerry said, voice a bit lower than normal, before sighing and leaning onto his palms. 

“ I… we’ve been… a _thing_ for a little while now.” Gerry said, voice quiet. Mike looked like he was about to yell something before Oliver covered his mouth with his hand.

“ Well,” he said. “ I wasn’t expecting you two to already be a thing, but go on.”

“...We met at a bar?” 

“ YOU M-“ Mike managed to get the first word out this time before Oliver slapped his head and Gerry aggressively shushed him. “ Ow, sorry, sorry. You met at a _bar? Michael Shelley_ was at a _bar?_ ”

Gerry nodded, face a little red. Mike laughed, leaning back in his seat. Oliver just looked smug. 

“ Alright, well, there goes my _entire perception_ of the guy,” Mike said, leaning forward again. “ So, d-“ a bell cut him off before he could finish his sentence, and Gerry stood up from his seat quickly.

“ Listen, I’ll tell you guys more later. But seriously, for fuck’s sake, keep it to yourselves. If word got out… it could be really dangerous for him.” Gerry said. His serious tone was picked up on by the both of them, and they nodded, Mike patting his back and smiling before they parted ways. Oliver gave him a reassuring nod, and then they were blocked from sight by the crowd of students making their way out of the lunch hall.

Gerry sighed, and joined the flow, feeling just a little lighter than before. 

The rest of his classes passed agonizingly slowly. History was the second to last of the day, and also his least favorite. Listening to an old white man explain how other old white men had conquered other countries and enslaved other peoples was bad enough, and even worse when said old white man actively attempted to get you to sympathize with the conquerors. No thanks. 

All of his droning was starting to give him a headache, so Gerry excused himself to the bathroom, hoping to get a moment's silence. The hallways were less horrid to walk when they weren’t filled with dozens of other students, and Gerry took his time heading to the restrooms. He did need to touch up his eyeliner, so he might as well. 

As he rounded the corner, however, he _did_ see another student. One with curly blonde hair and a slightly oversized sweater. 

Michael let out a soft “ Oh,” upon seeing Gerry, and they both came to a standstill. Gerry did a quick once-over of the hallways around them, and upon seeing no one else around, he marched up to Michael.

“ Ger-“ was all he managed to get out before Gerry grabbed his arm and pulled the both of them into a nearby storage closet, closing the door firmly behind them. 

“ Gerry, what are you doing?” Michael asked, pressed up against him in the small space. There wasn’t any light, but Gerry could feel the soft fabric of his sweater as Gerry moved them both so Michael was pressed up against the door. He answered by kissing him. 

Michael made a small hum before kissing him back soundly, his hands finding Gerry’s hair and pulling him deeper into the kiss. 

Gerry’s hands went to Michael’s thighs and he lifted Michael off the ground, earning a startled giggle before Gerry settled his legs comfortably around his hips.

They had managed to take small moments like this in the past, and although it was always somewhat cramped and dusty, they were in no hurry to leave.

Eventually, though, Gerry broke away, pressing a gentle kiss to Michael’s jaw and pressing his face into the crook of his neck.

“... Mike and Oliver know.”

Michael went still for a moment, before turning his head and kissing his hair. 

“ Are you worried about them telling people?” He asked softly. Gerry thought about the question.

“ No… no. I asked them not too, and… I trust them.” It was a little difficult saying that out loud. Trust was not a thing Gerry gave away easily. 

“ Then I trust them too.” Michael said decisively. Gerry smiled into his neck before pulling away and pressing one more kiss to the corner of Michael’s mouth. 

“ I’ll see you after school?” He asked, letting Michael down and listening to the gentle fabric rustles of his smoothing out his clothes. 

“ Yeah,” Michael said, and Gerry didn’t need to be able to see him to know he was smiling. Gerry listened a moment for footsteps, before opening the door and slipping out. He even felt prepared to actually sit the rest of history out. 

Michael just had that effect on him.

  
  
  


-

  
  


“ I don’t know if this is a good idea. I mean, what if someone sees us? It’s a really popular event...” Michael said, worrying at his bottom lip. 

“ Michael, it’s a carnival; I doubt anyone will be paying attention. But if it makes you feel any better, we can go in disguise.”

Michael stared at him blankly. 

“ … Are you-“

“ No, I’m not suggesting mustache nose glasses. Just like… you can borrow some of my clothes, we can put some makeup on you, put your hair up differently. That kind of thing.” He explained. Michael thought about it for a moment. His cheeks were flushed a little pink at the proposal, but Gerry decided to not say anything. 

“ I’m not sure any of your clothes would fit me?”

“ I have an oversized hoodie you can wear, that should fit no problem. You have a pair of black jeans at home, right? You can just wear those.”

“ I mean… I’m gonna be honest, I don’t really know if it’ll stop me being recognized, but… sure. Why not.” Michael said, flashing Gerry a slightly nervous grin. Gerry grinned back, and leaned forward to kiss Michael’s cheek. 

“ Hell yeah. Alright! I’ll see you tomorrow then?” He asked. 

“ It’s a date,” Michael responded. 

They decided to go to the fair later in the day, when there would be less families around. As they got in line for tickets, Michael looked at the fairgrounds ahead. Gerry, in turn, looked at him; the setting sun reflecting off his loose hair, the bright lights of the carnival ahead glinting in his eyes. 

He was wearing his dark jeans and the hoodie Gerry had lent him (a plain black item with a colorful band logo on the front), and Gerry had helped him achieve a similar style of makeup to his own. The artfully smudged eyeliner made his eyes look even bluer, and the fake lip piercing was a pretty cute look on him, especially as he chewed in nervously. Gerry reached down and gently grabbed his hand, squeezing in comfortingly. Michael squeezed back.

“ I’m going to be honest, I didn’t really take you for a fair type,” he said as the line inched forward. Gerry shrugged his shoulders.

“ I’m not a huge fan of all the people, sure, but it can be fun. Plus, I’m sure it’ll be much nicer with you.” He didn’t mention the fact that the fair reminded him of his dad, and some of the last memories he had of him. It’d probably just bring down the mood. 

But Michael smiled wide at his words, and fully threaded his fingers into Gerry’s. 

Finally, they reached the ticket booth and continued on into the fairgrounds proper.

Immediately Michael spotted something that interested him and started pulling Gerry towards it. 

“ Can we ride on that one?” He asked, stopping beside the line for the ride. Gerry looked up at it. 

“ The… claw? Going all in right off the bat, huh? No foreplay whatsoever?” He teased. Michael flushed.

“ Ah- sorry,” he mumbled. “ I mean obviously we don’t have to if you don’t wanna,”

“ No, no, that’s not what I meant. It’s really cute seeing you excited. I was just a little surprised, I didn’t expect you to like the scarier rides.” Gerry smiled, pulling Michael into line.

“ I like the thrill,” Michael admitted. “ Plus… I don’t know, the fact that it’s controlled makes me feel less anxious? Like I still get nervous beforehand, but it’s really satisfying having that fear kinda… go away once you’re actually on the ride, if that makes sense.” 

Gerry supposed it did. 

“ Well, if you _do_ get scared, I’ll make sure to hold your hand.” Gerry said, winking over dramatically at him. 

In the end, it was Gerry who stepped off the ride queasy, his hand still in Michael’s, white-knuckled.

“ My hero,” Michael teased. 

“ Shut it, I just wasn’t prepared right off the bat.” Gerry bit back, though there was no venom in his voice. Michael just laughed, and smoothed down Gerry’s hair for him. 

They went back and forth, each choosing rides and activities for the next hour or so, before deciding that now was probably a good time to try some famously horrendous fair food. 

“ What the fuck- who would eat a _fried twinky?_ ” Gerry demanded, horrified.

“ Well, judging by your fascination, you probably,” Michael said, a smile tugging at the corner of his lips.

“ You fuckin’ bet your ass I am.” Gerry confirmed. 

“ Better stick to that, I’m not wanting to lose my ass,”

“ Yeah, that’d be a shame. It’s a nice ass. See, now I have an actual reason to eat this monstrosity.” Gerry said cheekily.

Michael rolled his eyes.

“ Oh, please, you were gonna try it anyway.”

They sat down at a nearby picnic table with their newly acquired food. Michael had gone the safe route with a funnel cake, while Gerry had a small collection of things that probably shouldn’t be deep fried but were. Gerry took a single bite out of one of his monstrosities, made a face, pushed his plate away, and broke off a piece of Michael’s funnel cake instead. Michael just laughed.

The sun had long since gone down, and as they talked they were lit by the bright lights of the rides and stalls around them. 

“ I’m really glad you came.” Gerry said, a bit abruptly. Michael looked up at him, surprised, before grinning at him.

“ Me too. It’s been really nice to be out and about with you, I think. And not be getting drunk while doing it. Plus, I got a free makeover out of it!” He said, gesturing at his makeup. 

“ Though, next time, I think I’ll wear something a bit more… colorful.” He added. “ I’m keeping this hoodie though. It’s mine now.”

Gerry rolled his eyes fondly, as if that wasn’t exactly what he was expecting. 

After a few more minutes, they started to clean up their plates and get ready to move on. Just as Gerry stood up to throw out their trash, there was a startled voice behind them.

“ Michael?” 

The boy in question froze. Gerry looked to where the voice was coming from, and saw a dark-skinned girl with short, white-purple hair. 

Michael was still frozen. Gerry made eye contact with him, silently asking if he needed to step in. Michael turned around to face the girl, and his shoulders visibly slumped in relief.

“ Wh- Annabel?! It’s been years! You’re back in town? ” He exclaimed, anxious expression melting away as he smiled at the girl and stood up to greet her. She went in for a hug, grasping him tightly before pulling away. 

“ Just visiting family. Man, it’s been a little while! How have you been, McMike? You look different.”

“ I could say the same for you, spider queen. I don’t usually look like this, and the piercing is fake. Trying to not get recognized. That clearly didn’t work though, huh?” 

Annabel shrugged. 

“ It was really just a hunch, but your hair is quite distinctive.” She said, ruffling said hair affectionately. Gerry watched this display, feeling slightly off-put by the easy intimacy of the two. He cleared his throat. Michael startled.

“ Oh, I’m so sorry! That was so rude of me. Annabel, this is Gerry. Gerry, Annabel.”

Gerry smiled at Annabel, walking over to stand beside Michael.

“ Hey.”

“ Sup?” She greeted him back. 

“ Me and Annabel knew each other before she moved,” Michael explained. 

“ We were… uh… well, we… dated?” He added, blushing a bit. Gerry felt something strange stir in his gut. Annabel snorted. 

“ Yeah, that didn’t last long, though. To put it short, we were each other’s gay awakenings,” she said, making Michael laugh. 

“ Yeah, yeah. So are you fully out now?” He asked her, looking at the lesbian wristband she wore. Gerry relaxed seeing it, then mentally chided himself for tensing in the first place.

“ Yep! Dad came around eventually, especially after Martin- that’s my little brother- came out as well. How about you?”

Michael got quiet. 

“...Ah.” Annabel said sympathetically. “ Right. So… how did you and Gerry meet?” She asked, clearly trying to change the subject. 

Gerry let out a bark of laughter at the red that crept up Michael’s face at that question. Annabel looked quizzically between the two. 

“ We met at a bar,” Gerry explained, watching Annabel’s eyebrows rise. 

“ _Michael,_ ” she gasped, a delighted grin on her face. Michael buried his face in his hands, and Gerry continued on. 

“ We go to the same school, but never really interacted or anything, ‘cause… well. Anyway, long story short, Michael thought I was going to tell people that I saw him there being not-straight and tried to buy my silence, I told him I wasn’t gonna tell anyone, and we both got stupid drunk. Went home together, the rest is history.” He finished. 

“ _MICHAEL!_ How _scandalous!_ ” Annabel exclaimed gleefully. Michael was red in the face, but smiling. 

“ So does that mean you two are a thing?” Annabel asked, wiggling her eyebrows suggestively. Michael groaned, but threaded his fingers with Gerry’s. 

“ Yeah,” he mumbled. “ I guess it does,”

Annabel punched Michael’s arm playfully. 

“ Get it, boy! He’s certainly not an eyesore,” she said, with a wink, looking Gerry up and down. 

“ _Annabel,”_ Michael groaned. 

“ Annabel, who are you harassing now?” A soft voice came from behind her. Annabel turned around, greeting the petit, pale-skinned and dark-haired girl who had just appeared beside her. 

“ Jane! There you are, I was starting to get worried.” She exclaimed, leaning over and kissing the girl on the cheek. 

“ Michael, this is my girlfriend, Jane. Jane, this is Michael, we’re childhood friends. And that’s his boyfriend, Gerry.” 

Michael moved over to greet Jane, making small talk and laughing over stories in no time. Annabel looked satisfied with herself, and sidled up to Gerry. 

“ If you hurt him, I’ll rip out your intestines and strangle you with them,” she said, voice cheery. Gerry continued looking at Michael chatting away with Jane. 

“ Not if I do it first,” he replied. Annabel let out a short laugh, before patting him on the back. 

“ Attaboy.” 

They talked for a few minutes more, before Annabel glanced at her watch and sighed. 

“ Damn. Well, me and Janey should be going. Can I have your number, Mikes? I’d like to not lose contact with you for years again,” she said, smiling. Michael nodded, taking the offered phone and putting in his number.

“ Oh! And one more thing,” she added, reaching into her bag and fishing out a Polaroid camera. 

“ Do you guys wanna get your picture taken? I brought it along for me and Janey, but we have some extra film and I thought it might be a nice memento for you two.”

Michael hesitated, looking over to Gerry. 

“ Yeah, we’d love that,” Gerry answered. Michael beamed. 

“ Alright!” Annabel grinned. “ Stand riiight there. Hell yeah, that’s some good lighting! Pose for me boys!” 

Gently, Michael took a hold of Gerry’s face, and looked at him questioningly. Gerry smiled, and closed the distance between them. 

“ Gross, Mikes, PDA? Ewww. I’m kidding, that’s adorable. Here you go!” Annabel teased once they pulled apart, handing them the Polaroid. Michael looked at it with a soft smile on his face, and thanked Annabel. It was a good picture; the lights from the stand behind them lit them in purple and pink and blue, and they were smiling into their kiss. Gerry felt his heart warm looking at it.

“ And don’t worry,” Annabel added as she saw Michael open his mouth. “ I won’t tell anyone.” 

Michael’s eyes softened, and he enveloped Annabel in one last hug before stepping away and waving goodbye. 

“ That was a pleasant surprise,” Michael commented as they walked. Gerry let out a small chuckle. 

“ Yeah, she seemed pretty cool. I’m glad you got to re-connect,” he said, eyes softening at the smile on Michael’s face. 

“ Me too,” Michael hummed. “ Me too.”

“ So…” Gerry continued after a moment. “ You two were a thing, huh?”

Michael snorted. 

“ In the loosest sense of the word. We kissed once, immediately went “blegh, let’s not do that again”, and went about our business as friends. Certainly nothing to be jealous over,” he added slyly, causing Gerry to sputter. 

“ I- I wasn’t _jealous._ ” He said defensively.

“ Not after you realized she was just as gay as I am, at least,” Michael said, a playful smile tugging at his lips. 

“ Oh, shut it,” Gerry grumbled, but he still entwined his finger’s with Michael’s when their hands brushed against each other’s.

They talked as they walked, coming to the conclusion that they’d stay for half an hour longer before heading back. After that was decided, Gerry immediately pulled Michael towards a balloon popping stand.

Five minutes later, they walked away, Michael with a small cat plush and Gerry with a smug look on his face. 

“ I told you my aim was good,” he said. Technically, he had won the grand prize by popping all five balloons, but Michael had asked if he could take a smaller souvenir instead, and the vendor obliged. 

“ Yes, yes, you did.” Michael said, absentmindedly patting Gerry’s arm. Gerry followed his gaze to see Michael looking at the Ferris Wheel, it’s twinkling lights vibrant against the night sky. 

“ You wanna go on the Ferris wheel?” Gerry asked. Michael startled. 

“ Er- I mean, they're nice, but if you think it’s too cheesy-“ but Gerry was heading towards it, and when he looked back he saw Michael smiling and following behind. 

There wasn’t much of a line for the wheel, as it was late enough that most of the carnival goers had left, so it didn’t take long for them to get situated and for the Ferris wheel to start turning. It went around a few times, and Gerry found himself not looking at the view, but at Michael beside him. 

It eventually stopped, leaving the two of them at the very top like some sort of romantic movie. 

Gerry looked over the view of the twinkling lights down below. 

“ Yeah, that was a good decision. It’s really pretty up here,” he said softly, feeling the weight of Michael’s hand in his. Michael hummed his agreement. 

“ Going to the carnival together is one of the only memories I have left of my dad,” Gerry blurted out, voice still quiet. “ I know I don’t seem like the type to enjoy this type of thing, but… it holds a lotta value for me I guess. So, thanks. For coming with me.” He finished lamely, still looking at the view below. Instead of a response he felt a hand gently cup his cheek, turning his face so Michael could lean in and kiss him. Gerry sighed into the kiss, letting his own free hand come up to rest on Michael’s jaw. 

Michael pulled away after a moment and let out a soft laugh. 

“ I think my lip ring fell out,” he giggled. “ And… really, you don’t have to thank me, Gerry. It’s been… it’s been really nice. I’m glad we came here.”

Gerry closed the gap between them once more as a response. 

Perhaps kissing on a Ferris wheel wasn’t quite as overrated as they seemed. (though Gerry was pretty sure that was just because it was Michael, and nothing was overrated if it was with Michael.)

**Author's Note:**

> Here we go, the final hurdle!! I should have all three parts out within a few weeks. Enjoy! :D


End file.
